Pituitary hormones regulate a large proportion of the endocrine system’s functions. When a tumour occurs in the hypothesis (pituitary gland) there can thus be multiple consequences for the body. Albert Beckers studies pituitary adenomas and has described a new hereditary form of these complaints, the FIPAs. He is today tracking genes with a predisposition for these tumours.

Just like the likeable Hagrid in the Harry Potter saga, giants most often come to life when we immerse ourselves in a fantasy film or when reading a story for children. But not only! In effect gigantism is a rare syndrome striking children and adolescents and which is characterised by a greater than normal size. This syndrome is due to an adenoma, a benign tumour, appearing in the pituitary gland (or hypophysis) in children and adolescents. More precisely it is a somatotrope adenoma, in other words one which affects a certain type of hypophysis cells called somatrotopes and which brings about a hypersecretion of growth hormones. When the disease manifests itself in adults it thus causes an acromegaly, or an abnormal increase in the size of soft tissues, feet and hands and provokes face deformities.

Benign in the majority of cases, pituitary adenoma are tumours which develop in the hypophysis. Also called the pituitary gland, the latter is an endocrine gland situated at the base of the brain and is responsible for secreting hormones which are indispensable for the correct development and functioning of the body. It has for a long time been considered as the orchestra conductor of the endocrine system because of its activity in regulating functions such as growth, lactation, reproduction, the activity of the adrenal glands and the thyroid gland, etc. If scientists had a long time ago discovered that the hypophysis is itself regulated by hormones which come from the hypothalamus, its role is no less crucial. It is made up of numerous cell types which each secrete one or more hormones. Amongst the latter notably feature growth hormones (GH), prolactin (PRL), the follico stimulating hormone (FSH), the luteinizing hormone (LH), the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).